The Virginia Key Grassroots Music Fest is almost here, and that means a stellar music lineup, camping in the cool winter beauty of the subtropics, and more hippies, rastas, and traveling kids than you can shake a beach at.
Meanwhile at Jimbo's, $2 beers, Southern rock and roll, and topless biker mamas rule, and so will your weekend (starting Thursday) when you party at the free Jimbo's Music Festival.
We spoke to music promoter Jeff Sadowsky about food trucks, cheap brews, and smoked fish. Check out what he had to say after the cut.
Crossfade: What's up dude?
Sadowsky We built a stage over there at Jimbo's, and we're gonna have food trucks, reasonable camping facilities, and a bunch of bands over the four nights of the Virginia key Grassroots Festival. We're tryin to raise awareness for Jimbo's.
How long have you been going to Jimbo's?
I've been going for ten years at least, maybe longer. I went one day to a barbeque on his birthday, and I've been coming back ever since.
What's your best memory over there?
The models undressing on the dock and everybody watching and taking pictures, and the dolphins swimming through the bay.
Who's playing the festival?
We got a band called the Grove Brothers, Space Hippie, Edison's Medicine, a band called COD, a three piece with a banjo and an upright bass, and a few other surprises. And anybody is welcome to come on stage and play too, open jam all night as long as they want, we've got a generator for electric.
How is the festival a benefit if it's free?
Well, hopefully Jimbo's sells a lot of beer and smoked fish, and we also get a percentage of the food trucks.
What are the camping facilities like?
We installed some showers over there by the bocce ball courts, and you can bring a tent or an RV, we've got toilets, and we've got $2 beers. They used to be a buck for what seemed like forever almost, but Jimbo's is still laid back, and the best kept secret. It's like Key West meets Miami.
What else?
C'mon out and support Jimbo's. These are all local acts, with more bands being added all the time. There's a path between here and the Virginia Key Grassroots Festival that you can walk through to get between the two--I checked it out on an aerial view.
We were planning on having hay ride between the two, but it didn't pan out. We're not affiliated with them--but kind of loosely associated. We really dig what they're doing.
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